Battery-vault.



G. 'H, MAODONO-UG BATTERY VAULT. APPLICATION FILED MAR, 15, 1912- L37, 1 6. Patented A115 27, 1:13.42:

hurrah strains raanisr orrron.

GEORGE H. MAGDONOUGH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO POTTER-WINSLOW CO., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

BATTERY-VAULT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Applicationfiled March 16, 1912.

Patented Aug. 27, 1912. Serial No. 684,195.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. MAonoN- oUcH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and'State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Battery-Vaults, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a battery vault of the general type used for containing storage or other batteries employed in connect-ion with railway signal service.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a compartment for the reception of switch mechanism, etc,

which will be attached to and a part of the tures of construction and in the combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of abattcry vault built in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; Fig. 2, a plan-view of said vault; and Fig.

. 3. a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow.

In the use of storage or other batteries with railway signal appliances, it is necessary to employ certain switch and other inechanisn'is for controlling the flowlof current to and from the batteries in said vaul This invention deals with a cheap, practical.

and efficient method of'placing these mechanisms at a convenient location with respect to the vault, and in a manner whereby the fumes arising from the battery vault will have no injurious effect upon said mechanisms. p

v The-device as illustrated in the drawings is employed with a battery vaultcomposed of a body portions of suitable size and configuration, which is constructed to provide a battery chamber 5 of any desired arrange ment, and which usually has provided therein a series of shelves 6 upon which the batteries are placed. The inlet to the battery vault is by means of a manhole 7, which is surrounded and inclosed through the medium ofa neck 8 and a movable cover 5-). Extending through the wall of the vault is therethrough, whereby the holes .in'closed by means a trunking outlet 9 for the wires attached to the batteries.

which provide vent passages for the gases that accumulate within the battery vault. Said vent passages open directly to the out. side of the vault, and by locating them at the point indicated, the vault can'be buried in the usual manner without in any way impeding the ventin of these gases.

A portion of tie top surface 11 of the body of the battery vault is of foraminous formation, as will be clearly seen fromFig.

3, the holes of said portion being of a size to permit a wire to "be inserted therethrough and to permit a sealing substance to be tamped or otherwise placed in the holes and around that portion of the wires passing are sealed so that the gases from the interior of the battery chamber cannot pass therethrough.

The foraminous portion of the upper wall is of a series of walls 13,

best seen in Fig. 3; and these walls, together with the wall of the neck 8, form a closure 14 for the reception of switch mechanism, etc.. commimication being had with the interior of said closure through the open upper end thereof, which open. end is closed by means of a door 15 of. any suitable size and construction.

, By the arrangement ust dGSCIlbFCi, the. switch and other mechanisms are 1no' oscd in a housing which is located upon the battery vault and are placed in a position whereby the operator can View the interior of the bat tery vault while he is adjusting the mechanism within the, housing. readily lmderstood' when it is considered that both the doors 9 and 15 are movable and can both be swung to open position; and being in close proximity to one another the operator can look into one compartment and then into the otherso as to see what effect on the batteries the operation of the switch mechanism, etc., has. Moreover, the switches are located in a closure which is sealed against the passage of gas or other fumes from the battery chamber thereinto; and by providing a closure for the switch mechanism in the manner indicated, the method of construction and the cost of manufacture of the battery vault remain unchanged, and the efliciency of said vault is not decreased in any respect.

Adjacent the upper edge of the neck 8 is a series of openings 10,

This point will be I By arranging a'closure or housing for the switches in the manner described, a closed housing separate from the battery is provided, and this housing does not add to the space occupied by the ordinary battery vault along the right of way. I This is an important point, since the adding of structures and impediments along the right of way is highly undesirable.

It is not desirable to place theswitch mechanism within the battery vault for the reason that the fumes arising from the batteries injure the switch and other controlling mechanisms. It will thus be seen that by the arrangement described, a simple and ,efiective way of housing these controlling mechanisms, is effected, which has many out of the battery as it is to practical advantages in operation.

It is just as essential to keep the moisture eep the gases and fumes away from the switch and other mechanisms, and by sealing the holes through which the wires pass a seal is provided which both serves to preventthe entrance of moisture into the interior of the vault and entrance of gases into the interior of the housing. I claim: I

1. A battery vault, comprising a body portion having a'chamber forthe reception of'batteries, a trunking outlet therefrom, a manhole leading into the chamber, a portion of one wall of the body portion being of a foraminous formatioma structure rigidly secured to the body portion and surrounding said foraminous portion, a door permitting access each of the holes of said foraminous portion being of a size to'permit a wire to be insertto the interior of said structure,

forming a closure around the foraminous portion, a door for permitting access to the interior of said closure, each of the holes of the foraminous portion bein of a size to permit a wire to be inserte therethrough and a packing substance to be placed about the wire, whereby the passage of gases from the interior of said chamber holes is prevented, substantially as described.

3. A battery vault, comprising a body ortion having a chamber for the reception of batteries, a trunkin outlettherefrom, a neck extending from t e upper wall of the body portion and surrounding a manhole leading to the interior of the battery chamber, a portion of the upper wall of the body portion being of a foraminous formation, a series of walls surrounding said foranfinous portion and forming a closure therefor, one

the neck portion, cess to the interior of said closure, substantially as described. I

4. In a battery vault, the combination of closure surrounding a -foramizfous surface having relatively small openings,the cent-ralclosure having a series of vent openings formed in its walls and located adjacent the upper edge thereof, substantially as de scrlbed.

GEORGE H. MAGDONOUGH.

Witnesses: WM. P. Bonn,

MARY R. Fnos'r.

through said of said walls being a portion of the wall ofand a door permitting aca body portion having a chamber for the a large opening and the I portion forming a censurrounding a large opening and the other 

